Google has been traveling the U.S., showing off its wearable computing device Google Glass.

This weekend Google is bringing Glass to Austin. It's an unique opportunity to get firsthand experience with the divisive device - which has inspired strong reactions among many who have yet to use it.

"The concept behind Glass is that it's really freeing. You don't need your hands to control it, so you'll be able to do whatever you want to do", says Anna Richardson, communications manager for Google Glass.

Credit Filipa Rodrigues for KUT News

"Google has been working on Glass for the last three years," says Anna Richardson, communications manager for the project. "8,000 people with various backgrounds – from teachers to engineers, plus 2,000 developers – were invited to be a part of the 'Glass Explorers' group spread around the country. Right now there's 10,000 Glass Explorers testing the device."

California-based Google is still working to make Glass more affordable and widely available. Right now, Google Glass costs around $1,500. And for now, only the Glass Explorers have exclusive access to this technology.

More than 200 of the users are from Texas.

Amy Langton is one of the Austin Glass Explorers. Langton got the device by winning a Google competition early this year. "Glass is completely hands-free and now I don't have to worry about dropping anything," she says.

Credit Filipa Rodrigues for KUT News

Amy Langton is one of the Austin's Glass Explorers. Her experience started in July. After participating in a Google competition, Amy Langton was given access to the wearable computer.

"With Glass I can finally talk on the phone completely hands-free," Langton says. "The ease of the product is extremely nice."

Google Glass works similarly to a smartphone or tablet. By touching the right side of the frame, users can swipe to navigate through the menu they're viewing. Google Glass is also voice activated and can pick up several command.

Want to give Glass a try? With an RSVP, anyone can try Google Glass and get a feel for the future of computing.

Related Content

We're preparing to bid adieu to 2013, which means it's time for the ever-reliable year-end lists. NPR's Book Concierge lets you explore the best books of the year. NPR Music chronicled the best albums . And Twitter is out with the biggest tweets and most-tweeted moments of 2013 . Twitter trends show us that as a nation, we used the 140-character service widely to mark the second inauguration of President Obama and to discuss the Washington gridlock that dominated most of the year — the...

Did you travel in 2013? Perhaps you went to Disneyland. Or maybe you met someone special or watched the Super Bowl. Those moments of commonality are being highlighted by Facebook, which today released its list of the year's most popular topics, events and places. After we spent a few moments reviewing the most common life events people reported in 2013, the list reads a bit like a 10-sentence short story — perhaps a fable or a coming-of-age tale. See what you think: Here are the events...

Social media giant Twitter announced Thursday that Marjorie Scardino – Texarkana native, Baylor grad and former Pearson CEO – is joining its board of directors. Scardino is the first woman to be appointed to Twitter’s board. Scardino received a little more than 4,000 shares of Twitter to serve on its board, according to SEC filings. She comes onboard after the company was criticized for not having women in high company positions. Twitter went public in November and is estimated to be worth more than $20 billion. Scardino led educational publishing company Pearson for more than 10 years until 2012. During that time, she tripled its profits to a record $1.5 billion.

In a hugely anticipated announcement this morning, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell made it official: Google Fiber is coming to Austin . The ultra-fast Internet service -- offering speeds more than 100 times faster than connections available now -- will "change how we live and how we work in ways we don't even know about yet," said Leffingwell. Google says its first Fiber customer in Austin will get service sometime in the middle of 2014. In a hugely anticipated announcement this morning, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell made it official: Google Fiber is coming to Austin . The ultra-fast Internet service -- offering speeds more than 100 times faster than connections available now -- will "change how we live and how we work in ways we don't even know about yet," said Leffingwell. Google says its first Fiber customer in Austin will get service sometime in the middle of 2014.